1972 -1993: San Diego State University

“The times they are a changing.”

With the retirement of Malcolm Love, Brage Golding became the fifth President of SDSU in 1972-73. During his 5-year tenure there was a continued focus on increasing scholarly activity. This decade brought considerable change to both American society and the campus.  The heavily protested Vietnam War ended in March of 1973 but the seeds of change were planted. On campus, SDSU became the first university in the country to have a Women’s Studies Department. Degrees were created in African American Studies (1972), Mexican American Studies (1970), and Native American Studies (1976) as ethnic studies were recognized as serious academic pursuits. The 1972 Affirmative Action Policy was another step forward to recognizing the rights of all people. In fact, in 1974-75 the Physical Education Major graduation and course requirements were the same for the first time for men and women. This year also brought a new degree: Physical Education Major with the A.B. degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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In 1977-78 Dr. Golding retired and Trevor Colburn served as Acting President for a single academic year. This calendar year was important to the Physical Education Department because Athletic Training became an emphasis in the Physical Education Major with the A.B. degree in Applied Arts and Sciences.

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Robert Carlson was appointed Department Chair in 1978-79, which marked a shift from the previous temporary and rotational appointments that were done prior to this time. During his long tenure (over 20 years), there was a continued increase in scholarly expectations and activity, which was demonstrated by the hiring of new faculty with terminal degrees. In fact, in 1991 the Physical Education department was ranked #1 in research (comprehensive universities) in the nation over the last 10 years, scoring higher than UCLA and UC Berkeley.

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There were several other important changes that occurred between 1980 and 1991. In 1980-81 a certificate program in Adapted Physical Education was offered for students in the Physical Education Major for the Single Subject Teaching Credential. The Fitness Clinic for the Physically Disabled was founded in 1983 by Professor Peter Aufsesser. This clinic, which served the fitness and health needs of disabled individuals in the community and provided a clinical experience for students, is still operational.  In 1984-85 SDSU eliminated the 2-unit graduation requirement for physical education activity classes for undergraduates. In 1989-90 Dance became a separate Major with the A. B. Degree in Arts and Sciences.

A major renovation of the Physical Education building was completed in 1990 that included the central department office, faculty offices, and facilities for laboratories. This led to laboratories being moved from Peterson Gymnasium to the remodeled Physical Education building.  Read a fascinating History of the Exercise & Nutritional Sciences Labs (pdf).

Two other important changes in 1990 included the naming and dedication of the exercise physiology lab as “Kasch Laboratory” in honor of Professor Emeritus Fred Kasch. In line with other majors in the University, Retention, Tenure, and Promotion criteria were held to the same standard of Teaching (50%), Professional Growth (40%), and Service (10%). In 1991-92 the undergraduate degree became a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in the Physical Education Major in Applied Arts and Sciences. The following year the B.S. degree in Physical Education offered specializations in Athletic Training; Fitness and Health; Movement Studies; and Physical Education (for those students who wished to teach K-12). This change was significant as it reflected the changes taking place in Kinesiology, which broadened professional opportunities for graduates.

In 1972-73 the Department of Home Economics was changed to the Department of Family Studies and Consumer Science (FSCS) in the College of Professional Studies. The department offered degree programs in Home Economics with food and nutritional sciences programs as emphases within the A.B. and M.S. degrees and Child Development as a B.S. degree. At this time Rebecca Wertz was hired to teach courses in food services systems production and management.

During 1975-1980 four faculty were hired who had attained the Ph.D. degree, including the first male in a tenure track position for Food and Nutritional Sciences.  Three of these faculty also were RDs. These hires signaled a shift toward scholarly activity as was the case across the University. In 1979-80 FSCS became a School rather than a department. Two years later new modern laboratory facilities were built for advanced courses in food and nutritional sciences and for faculty and graduate student research.

Significant changes continued in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. In 1983-84 Food and Nutritional Sciences degree programs were approved by the CSU Chancellor’s Office resulting in a B.S. degree in Foods and Nutrition and an M.S. degree in Nutritional Sciences.  These changes led directly to the hiring of three additional Ph.D. faculty.

In 1988-90 the family of Mary Quam Hawkins, a beloved colleague who died in 1987, gave $150,000 to establish the Mary Quam Hawkins Memorial Scholarship fund and $100,000 to establish the Mary Quam Hawkins memorial Dietetics fund. Students continue to benefit from these endowments as of 2014.

Two additional changes took place in 1991 and 1992. First, the B.S. degree in Foods and Nutrition was approved by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) for an additional 10 years after an extensive review of the program and faculty. Second, approval was received from the ADA for SDSU to offer a pre-professional practice program (called AP-4) in dietetics in response to student demand and interest and support from dietitians in the San Diego health care community.

The Merger

In 1978-79, President Day became the sixth President of SDSU. His tenure was marked with challenges and controversies and he had a contentious relationship with the faculty. Some of these challenges were the result of California State budgetary problems that plagued the University in the early 1980’s and 1990’s. They came to a “head” in 1992 when President Day proposed eliminating nine campus departments (pdf). The Physical Education department was not on the elimination list but Family Studies and Consumer Sciences, which included Foods and Nutrition degree programs and faculty, was on the list. After months of turmoil, the Chancellor of the CSU system rescinded President Day’s decision but he remained President of SDSU despite an unprecedented vote of “No Confidence” by campus faculty.